The Opelousas courier., 1887-04-23
The willie Plate Tournament.

The long looked for gala day of Vile Plate
has come and gone. The chivalry of Old st
Landry have again met in friendly contest te
honor the fair daughters of lovely land
The successful, not more than the less fortu
nata. Knights acquitted themselves with Gre
dit, and all went merry as marriage bell.
Proud, honest chivalrous hearts paid hom.
age to love and beauty, although perchanee
the fair maiden wore no crown and the love
lorn Knight had none save his devotion to
offer The old aeadian village was truly ava
kened from its Rip Van Wrinkle slumber, to
gaze upon a scene of holiday merry-making
and revefry, such as had never been seen be-
fore upon the borders of our lovely prairie.
The Tournament, the Railroad, the Barbe'
cue, the New Parish, the Coronation OF the
Queen OF Love and Beauty, and her attend
ant Maids of Honor, the Ball, were surely a
programme sufficient for one day.
To the Journeys whose knightly bearing
and splendid horsemanship could elicit only
praise, We say we'll done. To the Railroad
sentiment we accord every good wish and
the feebleness Of eur purse to the new par
ish, we shout: Bon voyage, sweet Evangel-
inc! To the barbecue, an appetite hereto.
fere unappeased still cries at this late day
Hold, enough" To the Queen and her maid
ems, "as fair as the garlands they twine," we
bow in devout submission to their maiesties
mandates, ever loyal, ever trne-God save
the Queen and her household. The ball cor
ried us back some twenty five years or more
to the days when we tripped the light fan
tastic with our girl Jemima, while the music
laden soul Of another "Uncle Bug" wont sigh
ing on the spring-time air. Here we fain
would bid you adieu, but something lmpela
MS to say, while we would in no way detract
from the well.merited praise bestowed upon
many of the worthy projectors of our success.
full venture, as caterers to the enjoyment OF
eur friends, yet we can but think that unin.
tentionally or otherwise, some have been left
with only their consciousness OF duty done,
while the tulsome praise of others has been
who have put money and muscle both to work,
from first to last, for our success, have unno
ticed passed the hour for the compliments
due energy and success.
without wishing to appear inVidious We
can but admire the ceaseless pursuit of sue
cess IN this enterprise manifested by our
worthy fellow citizen, John D. Currie; and
to him perhaps more than any other one man
does the Tournament at least owe it's success
and to such go-ahead progressive men as Cur.
rie, Tom Reed. and Coreil and Vidrine will
Vile Plate owe her development, in the future
as in the past. No one or two men can or have
ever yet been the sole dependence of any coun
try or community Where in all this grand
outpouring of the people was the tireless, eyel
ready Damon Deville, A. l.. Fontenot
Where the quiet, ever present, ever working
DR.. j. H. Parker, and Conway, the liberia
and working friend OF the entlre progratnme
from its incipiency are We to iguore services
like these, or we ask an impartial public i
they too are not entitled 10 their share Of
complimentary notice Had the affair prov
en- failure would they have been excluded
| from all blame as they have been from al
praisea We opine not. And Capt. San
Haas, man who needs no praise for any
thing he does, for he does so much that tira'
would not be sufficient for the merited ap
plause; and as he was only an aide-de-camE
70 the general on the field and besides =
Chicot man, we leave his reward to the people
who know him best With no spirit of an
tagonism to any and kindest good will to all
yet believing that while some have beer
! praised for the success OF our late entertain
ment, many others are equally entitled t.
credit hence, this trespass on your time ant
| space. With thanks to all who contributes
to our enjoyment on the occasion, and th
/ hope that at no distant day it may be ou
good fortune to enjoy another such feast o.
reason and flow of soul in Vile Plate,
We remain, A LOCKER ON.